Intermediate board and sail compatibility

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I am trying to buy my first short board. I have been using a large 200L beginner board.  I have tried boards that are 150-160L and these are fine for me.  Smaller than that, I just fall off all day and don't learn anything.  My question is....these are still large boards and have sail ranges that are 6.5-9.5, for example.  They are for light winds. I sail in areas where I use 5.0 to 6.0 or smaller usually.  So what is going to happen if I use the smaller sail on the 150L board?  Is it that the center of effort and CLR will not balance (ie. can't move mast track far enough back)? Is it going to feel weird or always want to turn down wind?

I am puzzled because as an advanced beginner, I want a fairly large board but I would rather not use a gigantic sail when I am trying to learn how to plane and get into the straps.

thanks

ANSWER: Hey John,

There is no reason you can't use a smaller sail that what the recommended sail range lists.
What the sail range means is this;

On the large end, that is the largest sail the board will carry with the average size sailor. A lower weight sailor or an advanced sailor could probably use a half or one size larger sail and still control the board.

On the lower end, this is the smallest sail that an average sailor can still get the board on a plane and control the board comfortably. An advanced sailor would probably be able to control the board with one size smaller sail.

With a smaller sail, it will not affect any of the balance or the center of effort. What happens is that if there is enough wind to get a 150L board planning with a 5.0-6.0 sail, it could be too much wind to control the board itself. The more volume a board has, the more uncontrollable it becomes in higher winds. One thing you can do is use a smaller fin which will cause less lift and make the board a bit more controllable. Bottom line is, a 150L board is really a lighter wind board designed mainly for 7-12kts of wind.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much for the excellent answer.  One small follow-up if you don't mind.  Regarding this: "The more volume a board has, the more uncontrollable it becomes in higher winds".

Could you explain why? I thought maybe it has something to do with the wind trying to lift the windward rail and a bigger board would be more prone to this?  Is that what creates the instability or something else?

Trying to learn/understand as much as I can before I spend money.

thanks again

Answer
Hey John,

A higher volume board naturally sits higher in the water. Combine this with high winds and rough water and you get a board that is too high in the water for good control. Another factor is the fin. The fin provides lateral resistance to the pressure of the wind on the sail, thus causing forward motion of the board. The fin also provides lift. The more speed and pressure on the fin, the more lift there is. When there is too much fin for the conditions, there is too much lift on the board and makes it uncontrollable. This is why I mentioned using a smaller fin. The drawback of going to a smaller fin is that it can make it more difficult to get the board on a plane due to less lift.

Here is a link to a website that has some great instructional information for beginner thru advanced. Take some time to read through the various articles for some great help.

www.windsurfingmag.com  Look under 'how to'. You can also read up on newer gear.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover